NEW DELHI: Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has concluded his official visit to India, where he met with Sushma Swaraj, India’s External Affairs Minister, and other top officials.
During his meeting with Swaraj, the two sides exchanged views on the strategic ties and ways to enhance cooperation and joint coordination on the regional and global issues. Dr Ahmad Abdul Rahman Al Banna, UAE Ambassador to India, was also present.
He also met with M.J. Akbar, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, and discussed means to develop collaboration and coordination between the two countries in the fight against terrorism and extremism. They also reviewed the latest regional and international developments.
Dr Gargash’s meeting with Dr Vijay Kumar Singh, Foreign Secretary, focused on bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation in various trade and investment domains as well as enhancing communication between the two friendly countries.
They also stressed that the high-level visits between the two countries have strengthened understanding and supported joint efforts to address the challenges and international issues, especially terrorism and extremism issues.
Dr Gargash also attended a forum organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in cooperation with the UAE Embassy in Delhi under the title “Strategic relations between India and the UAE and Crisis in the Middle East.”
It was attended by Sanjay Joshi, director of the Research Foundation of India, the UAE Ambassador to India, and officials of the embassy, a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors, head of the Arab League in New Delhi, as well as experts and political, economic, media and civil society researchers.
Speaking at the forum, Dr Gargash said that the strong ties between the UAE and India are a strategic advantage and a strong reservoir of trust.
He also stressed the importance of building confidence as there are many strategic aspects that require building bridges of relations. He also spoke about the fight against extremism and terrorism. “Fighting terrorism and extremism is a big issue and one area where the UAE sees cooperation with India,” he said.
On Iran, Dr Gargash said Iran and its expansionist foreign policies are a major issue in the region, stressing the need to monitor the internal situation of Iran because of the conflict between the wishes of the Iranian people and the polices of the regime.
Dr Gargash also answered questions asked by the participants during the forum.
At the end, Sanjay Joshi praised the debate and said that it is a good platform to share ideas and information on the subject.
